PALESTINIAN SOCIETY - Fafo

to the main office in Ramallah. The supervisors distributed, received
and checked the questionnaires in their offices before retuming them
to Ramallah for entry into the computer. In Gaza, F APO' s centre was
based in the YMCA and due to the short distances involved there, was
not supplemented by any other offices.
During the sampling stage supervisors went to each survey area
and drew maps (see Appendix A). This process served to act as a
confidence-building measure in itself because the supervisors, espe­
cially in villages and refugee camps, needed to explain the project and
its aims before being accepted by the local population.
The initial reaction of many people was that the datacollectors and
supervisors were from the tax department or were undereover Israeli
units. In order to convince people of the data collectors' identity and
intentions careful persuasion was needed.
In one instanee the local population closed their shops, staged a
demonstration and bumt tires as the data collectors approached,
believing the data collectors to be tax officials and hoping to scare
them off. The data collectors managed to talk to the youths involved
and were allowed to continue after delicate negotiations.
Local sensitivities aIso proved problematie. A particuIarIy reIi­
gious man refused to let his wife be interviewed so the data collectors
approached a person in the local Chamber ofCommerce they knew to
be a colleague of the man who objected. When the project was
expIained by the colleague, he consented to his wife being inter­
viewed.
The field workers were assisted by the provision of aF APO ID card
with a photo and with a letter in Arabie clarifying the purpose of the
project. The data collectors were carefully trained in how to present
themselves, emphasizing FAPO's contact with Iocal institutions and
Iocal Ieaders but being cautious not to prornise or imply that any
material benefit would follow. This would not on ly have been unfair,
but it would also have encouraged faIseanswers in the misguided hope
that by highlighting their condition the respondents may receive aid.
Controls
A strict system of checks and controls was instituted by FAFO at each
stage of the field work. Data collectors had to keep records of their
transport expenses, and forms were completed recording the date a
questionnaire was issued, with information on each stage. FAFO
could check how many times a data collector had to visit a certain
house, which household they chose, how momy peopIe lived in it,
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